Green Synthesized ZnO Nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) and Its Acaricidal Action against Rhipicephalus (B). microplus

Background: Tick population in India has developed resistance against all commonly available acaricides and there have been only limited research activities to develop novel acaricides due to the enormous costs involved. Therefore, alternative therapy is need of the hour to tackle the acaricidal resistance. Methods: The present study envisages Annona squamosa seed based synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) for its acaricidal potential. Mean size of ZnO-NPs was 292.75 nm as per scanning electron microscope. Zeta potential of ZnO-NPs was (-) 38.9 mV. ZnO-NPs showed characteristic intense peaks in XRD analysis at 2θ of 31.89°and 45.64° due to its crystalline nature. In FTIR, the peak observed at 3754.73 cm-1 may be due to (-) OH stretching and deformation. ZnO NPs showed a strong absorbance peak at 300 nm confirmed the stability of nanoparticles. Result: Critical analysis of reproductive index study with ZnO-NPs revealed consistent acaricidal property of 2% ZnO-NPs even in the next generation of tick. Cytotoxicity evaluation revealed absence of aggregation as well other morphological changes of RBC, which indicated safer use of synthesized ZnO NPs on the animal body.